Amon-Ra St. Brown has had big games the last few times the Detroit Lions have played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers –really big games.
St. Brown caught 11 passes for 119 yards on 18 targets in the Lions’ 20-16 loss to the Bucs last year. In 2023, St. Brown caught 12 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in the regular season and had another eight catches for 77 yards and a score in the playoffs.
In all – three games against the Bucs since the start of the 2023 season – St. Brown has been targeted 47 times, with at least 14 targets in every game.
“He’s pretty good,” Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said. “He’s a pretty good player.”
St. Brown is a two-time first-team All-Pro and one the NFL’s leading receivers, but there may be another explanation for his excessive usage against the Buccaneers.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles runs one of the most blitz-happy defenses in the NFL – Tampa ranks third in the NFL in blitz percentage at 32.6%, according to Pro Football Reference – and St. Brown has long been quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite security blanket.
Morton said St. Brown’s usage in games against the Bucs has less to do with the defenses he’s faced than his skill set as a player, but he said the Lions will be ready with an alternate third-down plan in case Tampa Bay (5-1) focuses on taking St. Brown away.
“Someone else is going to have to step up. And we’ll be ready for that,” Morton said. “We’re always (ready with) a contingency plan or they try to take Saint away and now you got (Sam) LaPorta, now Jamo (Jameson Williams), now you got Leaf (Kalif Raymond). You got the backs, (Jahmyr) Gibbs. All those guys, man, that’s a lot of weapons. So that’s why he pressures is to see if he can get home, so if we can’t protect or we can’t get open.”
One moment for the secondary
Brian Branch is suspended. Kerby Joseph’s availability is uncertain because of a knee injury. And Avonte Maddox is expected to miss his second straight game with a strained hamstring.
With his top three safeties out or dealing with injury, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he has no plans to move Rock Ya-Sin from cornerback to help fill the void and will instead rely on one or more of the team’s unheralded backups to fill in Monday against the Buccaneers.
“I tell these guys, ‘It’s time to introduce yourself to not only the Detroit community but the NFL community,’ ” Sheppard said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for these guys. It’s a tremendous opportunity. I mean, this could be your one shot.”
Thomas Harper, who played 10 defensive snaps at safety and had a key fourth-down pass breakup in last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, is the favorite to replace Branch in the starting lineup. If Joseph can’t play, Sheppard mentioned Erick Hallett and practice squad safety Loren Strickland as potential replacements. The Lions also signed Jammie Robinson off the Chiefs’ practice squad this week.
“You talk about it all the time, these overnight stories and overnight kind of celebrities. It’s not overnight,” Sheppard said. “It’s just that was the night that they got introduced to the world. These guys have been working for this moment, they’ve been waiting on this moment. And again, I just try to remind these guys, ‘It’s not pressure, but this could be your one moment that makes or breaks your NFL career, that changes the trajectory of your family. So go make the most of it. Have fun with it.’ And I mean, I honestly can’t wait to watch.”
Practice makes precision for Jake Bates
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp was complimentary of kicker Jake Bates, saying “he’s really become much better at” placing his kickoffs deep in the landing zone (between the 20-yard-line and the goal line).
“I give him a lot of credit,” Fipp said. “He puts a lot of time and energy into it. It’s not easy, especially when you get outside and you’re dealing with different conditions and the wind’s blowing left to right and a little bit at you one way, then it’s right to left then a little bit with you the other way. And the wind’s changing throughout the course of the game and you’re still trying to put the ball in the same spot.”
The Lions rank 17th in opponent drive start after a kickoff, per the team, pinning their opponents at the 29.9-yard line on average.
“From that position, you want a sniper, a guy who can place the ball exactly where you want it,” Fipp said. “You don’t want a guy spraying it around down there or a drive-by shooter. You want somebody who can place it right where you want it.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Amon-Ra St. Brown poised for big game for Detroit Lions vs. Bucs?
